Author
Topic: [SR5] House Rules (Read 66732 times)

So I'm thinking about implementing a new Matrix house rule (along with a lot of others my old GM pulled from a website - they're tested and true), but I figured I'd try to get an opinion or two here before actually going live with it in my game.

I love deckers, but in the past, when I've played them they don't seem to have time to do much because of how fast encounters play out. Their need to Mark everything first seems to set them back a bit. Now I don't want to just remove marks because the varying number required for different actions is a balancing factor.

So what I was going to do was make Matrix actions simple actions instead of complex actions provided you have a DNI, with a couple of stipulations. First, you can only ever undertake a single marking action in a turn. Second, if you take two actions, they have to be keyed to different Matrix attributes (attack, sleaze, data processing, firewall) because your deck or living persona is dedicated all of it's programs or whatever of that sort to that action. Third, if you are in AR and undertake both a Matrix action and an action in the physical world, you are considered distracted for both actions and take a -2 die pool penalty to each of them.

Does this seem okay?

I have a houserule for this issue. It's what I've called "blitzing" your actions. It's similar to trying to get two marks at a time with Hack on the Fly or Brute force, but a little more costly in exchange for the versatility and speed.

So combining 2 different matrix actions at a a time (like HotF and Snoop) can be done with this houserule but it will cost you. First you roll only once and use the lower dicepool of the two actions in question. (so codeslinger probably won't help)Second, you take a -4 just like you were trying to place two marks with a single action.Third, you must also spend your free action to make the necessary tweaks to your hack.

If you succeed, then you get both things done with one action. The penalty means you won't be able to swing this against a host, but hacking mooks with a commlink becomes much easier. Also, if you want to try this with 3 matrix actions at a time (like 2 marks and a trace) you can also do that, but it's a -10 (just like placing 3 marks) and you still spend your free action.

If you consider this houserule to be too strong, you might make the marks obtained in this way context dependent - that they only work for the actions they were combined with, but I have not found the need to do this.

Drain doesn't deprive you of successes. It just hurts you after the fact. The Matrix equivalent would be Matrix damage (harsh) or Overwatch Score.

Logged

The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work…when you go to church…when you pay your taxes.

Except they're completely unrelated. Drain is how mentally and physically taxing it is to cast a spell. Or in this case, to try and cast several spells in a very short period of time. Successes are how well you perform some task, which wouldn't necessarily suffer for trying to multi-task. Or at least, wouldn't suffer this badly. Most of the "distracted" penalties in the book are only -2. Hitting someone with a -9 is going to erase the majority of their dice pool. Like I said, the Matrix equivalent for suffering Drain would either be a couple points of Matrix damage for overtaxing your hardware, or scoring additional OS for making such a digital mess of things. If you're aggressively throwing code as fast as you can, it's going to be "loud" and obvious.

Logged

The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work…when you go to church…when you pay your taxes.

I like two actions in one roll generating more OS. There's a couple of good underpinnings for this:

It's something that only exists in the Matrix.

If you were to do both actions, you'd get OS from the resistance of both (unless one is legal)

I'd do it as a program that can load two actions and do them. It costs a free action to load your actions, then a complex to trigger the two actions. If both are Sleaze/Attack limit actions, you get double OS from it. If one is Attack/Sleaze and the other is Data Processing/Firewall, you get 1.5 OS (round up) from it.

Double the OS for doubly illegal actions (2 attack/sleaze actions) makes sense, but it doesn't have a precedent when placing 2 marks with HotF or Brute Force, so I didn't go there, but it wouldn't break anything if you did.

As far as the alternative to reckless spellcasting goes, I think the -9 is fitting for cutting the time to cast a spell in half. You might also go with half the spellcasting pool thus mirroring a shooter engaging multiple targets, but the -9 makes it an elite thing and even then it's only for a quick and dirty casting when you only need 1 or 2 hits to be effective. But anyway, it's just a houserule so take it or leave it as you like, I haven't playtested it like I have the matrix thing.

I just realized, there were 2 completely different topics going on at the same time. (I think I was busy the first read through and got confused lol)

I thought you were saying you would allow a Technomancer to perform 2 different Matrix actions at once, but they would have a -9 penalty. As I re-read, I see that you have them performing with a -4 as per placing 2 Marks at once. That sounds much better than a -9, though I would still double their OS on account of all the attention they're drawing.

As for Reckless Spellcasting (I thought you were comparing this Matrix blitz, not changing the topic) I still think hitting anyone with a -9 is pretty rough. That will take away a vast majority of anyone's dice pool, even if they are a seasoned veteran. Especially when earlier on that page they discuss Casting Multiple Spells, and say that all you need to do is split your dice pool between the two spells (same as multiple attacks). So from that it seems casting spells is no more or less distracting whether done slowly or quickly. The difference is how taxing it is on your body, hence the extra Drain.

Logged

The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now, in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work…when you go to church…when you pay your taxes.

Chrome and steal added the Skimmers mods for cyber legs. (12 capacity)For the cost of .45 essence per leg 10,000 neyen each legAdd a skimmer for -4 capacity and 2,000 nuyen each leg(Grand total of 0.9 essence and 24,000 neyen)This is a very important add for any cyber character intent on close combat designs.

Adepts however have:

"Improved physical attribute (agility)"Cost: 1PP per levelThis power allows you to increase a physical attribute (Body, Agility, Reaction, and Strength). This augments your attribute, so your Physical limit may also increase with the new Attribute rating. This power allows you to exceed your natural Attribute maximum, up to your augmented maximum.

I am currently trying to convince my GM to allow a lesser form for speed only:

"Improved Speed" Cost: 0.25 PP per level This power allows you to increase your walking distance by +2 and running distance by +4 per level taken. This movement speed increase cannot be combined with other technological, magical, or drug induced increases directly to movement speed. Increasing strength attribute or pools, running skill or pools, and agility attribute will increase this effects of this ability indirectly and are not prohibited by this ability.

Here are a bunch of house rules we use in my home games. Some of these are probably already in the 20+ pages of this thread, so apologies for not reading back and peeking--props if you got there first. These are just what we use with my group. They're not necessarily good ideas, but for what it's worth they're our ideas.

Grenades have some sort of physical safety so they can't be detonated via hacking until they're readied for use. (This one might be in a splatbook already.)

Ignore the "previous attack" modifier to defense. Just having to roll again is enough of an increased threat to life and limb, and I find that the value of the mechanic isn't greater than its cost in time and tracking.

Ignore the "targeted by area-effect attack" modifier. You don't roll a Defense Test for an area effect attack. I'm pretty sure this has been mentioned in an errata, but it's here in my notes so I'm putting it down anyway.

The ASDF ratings of a technomancer's living persona are bumped up by 2. I find that since the ASDF ratings are (usually) limits, they should be in the 3-8 range instead of 1-6.

Reduce Fading Values on complex forms by 3.

All sprites are named "Bob" if the player doesn't give it a name when compiled.

There are a bunch of notes on riggers here, but I think they are all covered in Rigger 5.

Creating preparations is a Simple Alchemy + Magic [Force] Test to get the Potency, rather than an Opposed Test.

Preparation triggers don't increase the Drain Value of a preparation.

All spirits are named "Georgina" if the player doesn't give it a name when summoned.

Inanimate objects that are transparent or translucent in physical space (like windows) are opaque shadows in astral space.

All weapons have a wireless bonus of +1 Accuracy. I do mean all weapons, including combat axes.

The listed cost of a commlink is increased by a factor of its rating. It's an ugly hack (no pun intended), but it's easier than calculating it out.

Medkits of a rating lower than 6 are to be mocked at the beginning of every session.

I've got another set of house rules that change the game a lot, but make it faster and easier to play. I might put those on my web site at some point.

Thanks!

« Last Edit: (19:40:02/06-06-16) by Aaron »

Logged

Shadowrun Resources: http://pavao.org/shadowrunI like to answer questions, but my answers are not official and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Catalyst Game Labs or its employees. I'm just a freelancer. I might even be wrong.

Been messing around with some changes to 5th edition possession. Trying to find a balance between 5th Ed and 4th ed.

* Use spirits stats physical ( when higher then possessed ) and mental ( no math and keeps stats equal with regular spirits ).* Add half spirits force in automatic hits to the damage resistance test in place of Modifier to penalties.

This retains a feature of ITNW and keeps stats in line with other spirits.Does this sound reasonable?

Edited: To clarify stat bonus.

« Last Edit: (21:28:00/07-11-16) by Prime Mover »

Logged

Why do things happen the way they happen? For all I know the world Is Just one big game and all of our actions are determined by the roll of a die. - Dunkelzahn, Great-Dragon

I have been playing Shadowrun for 20-22 years now and have experienced every edition with each of their flaws and complexities. Though I feel that 5th edition is the best so far, we all know the editing of the core rule book is appalling and a lot of the mechanics feel wonky. This is my very extensive attempt to consolidate, normalize, and simplify the mechanics of the game. In this attempt, I did not worry about the source book's fiddly-bits (like the price of things or the balance of character creation or advancement). I looked only at the mechanics of PLAYING the game (the best part).

For my players, and my sanity, I have condensed the 475 page rule book into 28 pages of (what I feel are) concise, intuitive, and consistent mechanics for game play. This does not replace the setting/flavor, the character creation, the spell and gear catalogs, etc. so you still need to buy the book, but you may not need to reference it during game play.

So I was wondering I was the only one who felt the d6 system was a bit tedious? A lot of my players have told me (after playing both pathfinder and shadowrun) that they prefer the style and setting of the latter, but would rather play Pathfinder because the system involves less excessive and it is generally easier for them to wrap their heads around.

After reflecting on this, I am starting a personal project to take the setting of Shadowrun but putting together a d10 system to run it one, taking what I've thought to be the best elements of several other systems I've worked with. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in seeing the rules for such a system posted here? So far what I'm looking at is eliminating the fistful of d6s, the concepts of hits, and instead have a system in which most checks just have a threshold you need to meet. The rolls I'm looking at are similar to what you'd see in Savage Worlds or Arcanis (but the former I find too basic and generalized, and the former too tied to its own setting), with the player's attributes having a die rating between d4 and d12 instead of a numbered rating. They would roll a d10, plus the relevant attribute die, with the ranks in the relevant skill being a flat bonus to that roll, and then magic, cyberware, or perhaps racial traits offering a smaller flat bonus to rolls on your attribute die. Obviously there is a lot more I'll have to put together here, such as as how damage and armor works, and I'd have to rework the mechanics on most published items, but hey, I've been wanting a project. Once this gets underway, would anyone want it posted, and, if so, where would I post it?